Early Sunday morning Tulsa police arrested a man in body armor for assaulting his wife and mother-in-law, and then setting his apartment on fire after threatening to do so.
It happened just after 5 a.m. Sunday morning at the Sunchase Apartments near the 8100 block of E 93rd St.
23-year-old James Dean Blackwell was arrested and booked on complaints of first-degree arson, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, attempting to commit a felony with body armor, possession of marijuana and resisting arrest.
Police say Blackwell beat his wife and mother-in-law with a baseball bat. After arson threats to Tulsa Fire and Police, he then set the apartment on fire shortly after 5:30 a.m.
Tulsa Fire responded quickly and had the fire under control around 5:44 a.m. Two units of the complex were damaged by smoke and fire. The American Red Cross assisted three displaced families, but there were no injuries from the blaze after complete evacuation.
EMSA transported Blackwell's 24-year-old wife to Saint Francis with traumatic injuries. She was in fair condition at last word.
Blackwell was arrested around 6 a.m. and booked into Tulsa County Jail just before 11 a.m. Sunday.
